Book description
A wonderfully provocative and appealing novel, from the much-loved
author of Anywhere But Here, her first in ten years. It tells the
story of two women whose lives entwine and unfold behind the glittery
surface of Hollywood. Claire, a composer and a new mother, comes to LA
so her husband can follow his passion for writing television comedy.
Suddenly the marriage--once a genuine 50/50 arrangement--changes, with
Paul working long hours and Claire left at home with a baby, William,
whom she adores but has no idea how to care for. Lola, a
fifty-two-year-old mother of five who is working in America to pay for
her own children's higher education back in the Philippines, becomes
their nanny. Lola stabilizes the rocky household and soon other
parents try to lure her away. What she sacrifices to stay with Claire
and "Williamo" remains her own closely guarded secret. In a
novel at turns satirical and heartbreaking, where mothers' modern
ideas are given practical overhauls by nannies, we meet Lola's vast
network of fellow caregivers, each with her own story to tell. We see
the upstairs competition for the best nanny and the downstairs
competition for the best deal, and are forced to ask whether it is
possible to buy love for our children and what that transaction costs
us all.
